What might have been.....

[Rayman]

I just watched one of the "First Love" programmes, where celebs go back to thier roots and learn to play the instrument they played as a kid, and perform in public.

The one I just watched was the one where Mark Radcliffe had to learn a Rufus Wainright track and perform it on the drums live on stage with him at the Manchester Apollo.

All the way through Mark is misty eyed while remembering his youth, playing in bands with mates, and wishing he'd "made it" as a professional drummer rather than being the DJ he is now.

Watching him walk up the stairs to the dressing rooms in the Apollo, it was like watching a starry eyed fan living a dream, and the feelings Mark had were the exact same ones I would have too.

I had tears streaming down my face as he walked out onto the stage and perform the song brilliantly with Rufus.

I felt like I was watching myself. I too feel I've missed the boat at 45 to live the dream, and that I'll never walk out onto the Apollo stage with a band, a place where I've been in the audience a hundred times.

I don't know where I'm going with this. I'll never "retire" from music, I'll be in some pub somewhere when I'm 70, with a Precision, playing some old songs to a handful of people, but I do feel great sadness that I never tasted success as a musician. The closest I came was a Radio 1 session in the 80s at Maida Vale, and a couple of brief stints with a couple of "name" musicians.

The younger players on here have got it all ahead of them, so they won't get what I'm on about, but you older guys will know [i]exactly[/i] what I mean.

Ah well, back to work tomorrow.

[Heathy]

I understand how you feel, but the grass is always greener isn't it? I have seen a lot of people who are so dead set on making it big they forget to enjoy the moment.

To me having played a set full of songs I want to play, and having played them well to a handfull of people going apesh*t in a pub is about as good as it gets.

Long live pubrock!

[Lozz196]

I can see what you mean, as at 44 am in a similar position. I`ve been in bands since a teenager, and in a couple that had singles/videos released on local record company labels, recorded live for a TV show, stuff like that. Had resigned myself to the fact that it would only be local pub gigs from now on, however in late 2008 I joined a (local) band that I`d been to see many a time, and last year, we played a music festival to approx 6000 people, which was the biggest audience/musical high to date. I know I`ll never make music as a job, but to be honest, I`m having more fun in this band, playing sober gigs (gave up the drink 3 yrs ago) than I ever had before. So just because we may not achieve our earlier dreams, its in no way the end of the road, you never know what opportunities may come your way.

Am in agreement abt being 70, with trusty Precision in hand at some pub playing to few people though. Can`t see me ever giving up playing now (whereas a few years ago, who knew).

[bumnote]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='953682' date='Sep 12 2010, 04:33 PM']I
Am in agreement abt being 70, with trusty Precision in hand at some pub playing to few people though. Can`t see me ever giving up playing now (whereas a few years ago, who knew).[/quote]

heigh ho 5 years left to go
already got the precision

[hillbilly deluxe]

I played my biggest gig so far,this year aged 47 at Americana,potential audience of over 100,000 at the event,we headlined above George Hamiltons 1V & V,and Paul overstreet amongst others.It's never too late.

Edited September 12, 2010 by hillbilly deluxe

[The Bass Doc]

Oh Steve I'm jealous. I've always wanted to go to see George Hamilton the fourth and start off a chant:-

"One George Hamilton the fourth, there's only one George Hamilton the fourth".

[hillbilly deluxe]

He's a very nice man Horrid.Theres something that i need to say to you but it's difficult to say face to face,so here goes............................Ken Diddy Dodds dads dog Doug died.

[Rayman]

Do any of the older guys know of anyone who made it?

I've known hundreds of musicians over the last 30 years, good ones too, but I can't think of a single one that made it thier career, not one, let alone became "famous".

I used to spend hours at school, staring out of the window dreaming of being a famous rock star. Here I am now, staring out of the window of my company car, on my way to some bloody factory somewhere still dreaming.

Oh well, I've got a couple of Kasabian songs to learn for the next gig, at some boozer in Stoke.

[ahpook]

with you on carrying on till the end...the bitter end !!

i realised that i wasn't going to be 'a rock star' many years ago, but still plug away...playing originals and enjoying every moment of it.

i only know of one person who's approached making it - a friend of mine who makes a living out of bass playing. she played on tricky's last usa tour, plays in pit bands for shows and does some session work.

she's worked bloody hard at it, and good for her - not bad for a 29 year old !!

[Rayman]

You see that's what I would've like to do, session work etc, just making a decent living making music that's all, nothing flash.

Actually that's cobblers, I want to punch the air in front of 20,000 people at Maddison Square Garden.

[ahpook]

[quote name='Rayman' post='953763' date='Sep 12 2010, 06:13 PM']You see that's what I would've like to do, session work etc, just making a decent living making music that's all, nothing flash.

Actually that's cobblers, I want to punch the air in front of 20,000 people at Maddison Square Garden.[/quote]



mind you, as i get older, the whole touring thing doesn't appeal much any more - session stuff would suit me fine.

i like my sleep too much these days !

[Delberthot]

Its funny but I've never wanted to be a famous musician.

Sure I would like the cash, the endorsements, the screaming fans etc but I enjoy doing what I do at the level I do it.

I imagine it would be really boring after a while, I mean how long would you spend writing, recording, touring etc out of the average year?

After you've gone around the world on a yacht and done all the rich superstar things what's left?

Go on a month long bender or die in a Las Vegas hotel room after snorting cocaine with hookers?

I enjoy going out once or twice a week, being appreciated as a band/musician, getting paid, then going home to relax.

[niceguyhomer]

Going slightly off topic Russ - it's worth you coming to see Mark and his band The Big Figures - look [url="http://www.bigfigures.co.uk/Gigs.html"]here[/url]. He's a really nice down to earth bloke, you'd be able to have a beer and a chat and his band's brilliant. Been to see 'em a couple of times now, our own Cameron (wayne58) plays bass for him.

[Jigster]

weren't the Flaming Lips all pretty 'past it' when they broke?

also Elbow ain't no springs..

[Beedster]

A few of my friends made it as 'stars' in the 80's. A band I played in for a while made it huge in the US. I really didn't want it at the time, and I've often had the sobering thought I would have ended up dead pretty quickly in that scene (a lot of the guys in question developed some serious habits). I think it's very easy to look at something when you're in your mid 40's and forget the way things would have been had you been offered the same thing in your early 20's. Not saying I wouldn't love it now, but now I have the experience and maturity to treat commercial success as what it is, when I was 20 it would have been a different story.

C

[thisnameistaken]

I don't think anyone I was in a band with ever had any real success. Nearest I got was turning down a deal from Arista when I was 18, and another one from Sony when I was 21. None of the cool indie labels who I would've signed for ever came a-knocking.

Oh, but a lad who used to hang around at my band's rehearsals is now fronting Pendulum. His big brother was our singer. Funnily enough out of his entire family he was the only one with no apparent musical talent. It's a funny old game.

[3V17C]

that Mark Radcliffe 'First Love' programme was pretty good I thought - he was so chuffed at the end bless him!

I know a few people who 'made it' - Justin Hawkins from The Darkness of course was from my town and used to knock about the local venues with various bands.

Four guys I went to school with formed a band then when we were all about 16 - they stuck at it for years, gigging constantly and finally got signed after significantly changing their sound to get on the latest bandwagon. They continued on for some years with a couple of albums out and club level gigs before having a major top 10 single and album followed by massive world tours/festivals/top of the pops etc etc and a couple of lesser hits. However their follow up album got severely delayed by record company buy outs etc meaning they had to go out and get day jobs to make ends meet! By the time it did eventually get released things had moved on and they didn't get any airplay and disbanded soon after so its not all great! Having said that most of them have continued in the music business as producers etc and they still reform from time to time for odd gigs and smaller tours.

At the ripe old age of 40 I'm currently playing in a blues/rock originals band which is going pretty well based on the singer/guitarist having some good connections. Its early days but we've already done some decent supports and have got tours etc coming up and while of course we're never gonna be the next big thing I'm really enjoying it and hopefully it'll keep going onwards and upwards.

peace

c

[Jase]

[quote name='3V17C' post='955582' date='Sep 13 2010, 11:46 PM']and while of course we're never gonna be the next big thing I'm really enjoying it and hopefully it'll keep going onwards and upwards.[/quote]

Well said Clive!

[TheRev]

I started playing bass at 16 and now, at 38, I sometimes have the same thoughts as the OP: What would it have been like if any of the bands I've been in had made it? I've done the trundling up and down the M4 to gigs in London but I've never done the full tour experience and wonder if I missed out.....

Everyone I know who has done the whole touring/making it big thing says no. The singer in my band toured with Magnum and ELO in the eighties and although he loves playing music, would never repeat the experience. My drummer spent years in bands in Liverpool (he's bessie mates with the guitarist from the Las) trying to 'make it big' -nothing came of any of his bands and he's much happier playing regular pub gigs for regular money. He's recently left a successful festival circuit band cos he's fed up getting wasted in a tent every weekend over the summer. My best mate was a pro drummer for 15 years in various stoner rock bands and although they had some success (big in Belgium etc) he jacked it in a year ago because he was fed up of living out of transit vans, never making any money and having bands fall apart through lack of record company support/band member commitment. He's now started a joinery business and is looking for a tidy function band to satisfy the playing urge.
Loads of great local bands have headed off to London, hailed as 'the next big thing to come out of Bristol' and 99% have come back a year later with their tails between their legs and end up working on the door of local venues that they would have packed and rocked to the rafters when they were still in Bristol.

The only person I know who has astually 'made it' is Neil Hannon/Divine Comedy. I went to school/borrowed PA/shared amps with him in the late 80s. They were pretty big in the Britpop scene - TOTP, Glastonbury etc and still get airplay on Radio 2 and 6. The bassist and one of the guitarists were in my class at school and AFIK, the guitarist now has a regular job and the bassist was last seen working as a sound engineer in Camden and looks like he may have partied a bit too hard over the years. I'm going to a 20yr school reunion in a few weeks and I think the bassist is going - I'll ask him what it was like to have 'made it'

Sorry, I'm rambling a bit, but the point is this: I've played 6 gigs this month and got paid for all of them. I make around £2k a year from music and use it to keep me in strings, amps & basses. I really like the guys I play with, have regular dep requests and only play stuff that I like. I'm a better player (and person) than I have ever been and look forward to playing jazz or Muse covers when I'm 76, if I make it that far! All my gigs are local so If I want to do the rock star thing after a gig and get loaded, I can and then go home to my rather nice apartment paid for by my day job at the University which I got because I did a couple of degrees instead to trying to make it with a band. OK, it's not very 'rock' but I think I've 'made it' in music in my own way.

Dave

Edited September 14, 2010 by TheRev

[WHUFC BASS]

mark radcliffe used to drum for Skrewdriver before they turned into a white power skinhead band.

[dave_bass5]

Ive never really aspired to making it big in music. So for me ive achieved what i set out to do lol.

Seriously though, ive always enjoyed playing music, and ive wanted to play to huge crowds but never felt i wanted to do it full time so never took the chances i was offered. No regrets at all, other than still wondering what it would be like to do a big tour.

Ive always had a full time job since leaving school, and while its not exactly a high paying career, ive been happy doing it and earning almost enough to settle down and have kids etc.
I never felt i could survive without a regular income, and while we had the chance to go on minor tours etc in the past i always put my job first. The bands still went, enjoyed it but came back to nothing and split up. Plus i probably earned more by staying here.

I know a few people who did almost hit the big time 20+ years ago, and for them, having tasted the limelight and lost it, its a bigger downer than never having it IMHO. Im not saying its not worth having, just harder when you loose it.

These people are quite bitter and still think playing to a small audience, or doing weddings etc is too much of a sell out and are actually not able to get out and play live now. They just sit at home and write their next album, just as they have been for the past 10 years.

looking back over my lifetime in music there were some great moments, but most of that i wouldn't want these days. When i was younger and starting out it was all new and exciting, but looking back at it, smelly pubs, 5 of us in a small mini van travelling 100 miles to get £30 between us etc just doenst appeal to me and i dont miss it.

Over the past 12 years doing covers ive done better gigs, got paid a lot more, played in some very nice places, had more disposable income from working for a living and brining money in from my passion to play and i get to see my family every day. Its now that im enjoying doing all this and hope it continues for a good few years. I dont feel 47 and being in bands have helped i guess.

Edited September 14, 2010 by dave_bass5

[KevB]

Dave's post made me think of this...

[chris_b]

[quote name='dave_bass5' post='955909' date='Sep 14 2010, 12:34 PM']....No regrets at all, other than still wondering what it would be like to do a big tour....[/quote]
A big tour is exactly the same as what you do now, only with about 12 hours a day more travelling!

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='chris_b' post='956012' date='Sep 14 2010, 01:51 PM']A big tour is exactly the same as what you do now, only with about 12 hours a day more travelling![/quote]

Yeah, it doesnt sound appealing to me now i have other things to be wasting my time with.
Then again, a private plane or helicopter would help.

[WHUFC BASS]

[quote name='KevB' post='955996' date='Sep 14 2010, 01:43 PM']Dave's post made me think of this...

[/quote]


Classic sketch... I love it and we even know a guitarist of a certain band who this applies to.

Seriously though, there are some people out there who act like this.